Taoiseach Bertie Ahern finished two days of evidence to the Mahon tribunal today but will have to return on another date to conclude his testimony.
Mr Ahern spent today and yesterday on the stand at Dublin Castle answering questions on a number of lodgements to accounts in his name and in the name of his former partner Celia Larkin in 1994 and 1995.
Lawyers for Mr Ahern this afternoon objected to the fact that his evidence would not be concluded today, as they said he had set aside the dates in his diary specifically for the tribunal and had done his best to accommodate the tribunal.
Conor Maguire SC for the Taoiseach said Mr Ahern had previously set aside two half days in July but because the tribunal had not concluded hearing evidence from AIB bank officials, that had been postponed.
Mr Maguire said he could not understand why at this stage the tribunal could not "prioritise" its questioning of the Taoiseach.
Tribunal chairman Alan Mahon said it had been the intention and belief of the tribunal that two full days this week would conclude the Taoiseach's evidence.
But he told Mr Maguire he would know from court proceedings it was impossible to identify with any precision the length of time that questioning a particular witness would take.
Mr Mahon said he was not suggesting in any way the Taoiseach was responsible for the fact that the evidence would not conclude today, but that he had made a lengthy statement at the start of proceedings yesterday in which some "new matters" had been introduced.
The tribunal has yet to set a date to conclude Mr Ahern's evidence but is expected to post details on its website.